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This was the beginning of Polish National Opera. |
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The Theater's history
Opera was brought to Poland only twenty years after it first appeared in Florence, by Royal Prince, who in 1628 invited the first Italian opera troupe to Warsaw. As soon as he ascended the Polish throne in 1632, he had a theater hall built in his castle, where regular opera performances were produced by an Italian company directed by Marco.
From 1774 on, opera, theater and ballet performances were held in the Mansion (today the Polish "White House") in Street. There, on 11 July 1778, the first Polish opera was produced by a company of Polish artists - Maciej Kamieński's "Poverty Made Happy" with Wojciech Bogusławski's libretto based on a comedy by Franciszek Bohomolec. This was the beginning of Polish National Opera.
In 1779-1833 performances took place in a new theater building on Square, later called the National Theater. It was there that Bogusławski, an excellent actor, singer, director, playwright and entrepreneur, known as the father of the Polish National Theater, developed his talent, and where a troupe of His Majesty's Dancers (from 1785), headed by the ballet masters Francois Gabriel from Paris and Daniel from Venice, began its activity.
For 170 years Teatr Wielki, today called the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera, has been Poland's grandest opera and ballet institution. Its building was erected in 1825-1833 to designs by the Italian architect Antonio of for the companies of national opera, ballet and drama active at the time in Warsaw. The first performance in the new building, Rossini's took place on 24 February 1833.
The building was converted several times. In the period of the partitions (1795-1918), it performed an important cultural and political role. The company produced works by Polish composers and choreographers. It was here that two best-known operas were produced for the first time ever: the complete version of "Halka" (1858) and "The Haunted Manor" (1865). It was also here that the Italian choreographer produced (1874) which (in the musical arrangement of first Adolf and then has for years been in the repertoire of the ballet company. The theater showed operas by Władysław Żeleński, and other Polish composers, as well as ballet productions designed by such choreographers as Roman Piotr and Feliks Parnell. At the same time, the repertoire included major world opera and ballet classics, performed by the most prominent Polish and foreign singers and dancers.
During the battle of Warsaw in 1939 the Teatr Wielki was bombed and almost completely ruined. Only the classicist facade survived the bombing. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 the Nazis shot civilians in the burnt-out ruins. The plaque to the right of the main entrance commemorates the suffering and heroism of the victims of fascism.
In 1945-1965 the company performed on other stages while the theater building was being restored and expanded according to designs by Bohdan Pniewski, under the supervision of Arnold Szyfman. The restored theater was opened to the public on 19 November 1965. At that time it was one of the most imposing and best-equipped theaters in Europe, provided with state-of-the-art installations and equipment.
The Polish National Opera in the Teatr Wielki continues its 200-year tradition and produces works by Polish composers - from Karol Kurpiński, through Stanisław Moniuszko to Krzysztof Penderecki, but world classics are just as well represented; the company has in its repertoire the best operas by Beethoven, Bellini, Berg, Bizet, Borodin, Donizetti, Gounod, Massenet, Mozart, Offenbach, Prokofiev, Puccini, Rossini, Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Wagner (including "The Ring").
The Warsaw ballet company has worked with Adret, Alicia Alonso, Béjart, Butler, Cullberg, Lacotte, Lazzini, Lifar, van Manen, Massine Jr., Méndez, Messerer, Neumeier, Rodrigues, Sergeyev, Walter, Vinogradov, Yuriko and many Polish choreographers, such as Leon Woizikovsky, Stanisław Miszczyk, Witold Gruca, and Emil Wesołowski.
According to the plans of Antonio Corazzi, which were submitted for execution in 1825, the façade of the Teatr Wielki was supposed to be decorated at the front with a triumphal sculpture of Apollo, patron of the arts, driving a chariot drawn by four horses. The outbreak and ultimate defeat of the November Uprising meant the idea was never carried out. At the order of the Russian field marshal, the idea to crown the building with the sculpture of this quadriga was abandoned, the aim being to deduct from the dignity of the national theatre's new seat. The ample pedestal at the top of the main façade of the Teatr Wielki building remained empty for close to two centuries.
The time finally came for the Third Republic of Poland to fill the centuries-old gap in the architectural image of Teatralny Square. At the initiative of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera's then general director, Waldemar Dąbrowski, the sculpture envisaged many years ago finally adorns the Teatr Wielki's façade 177 years later. The new, contemporary quadriga was designed by professors from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts: the rector, Adam Myjak, and the dean of the Sculpture Department, Antoni Janusz Pastwa. The sculpture was unveiled by Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski on 3 May 2002 to mark Constitution Day.
The Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera has two halls: the Stanisław Moniuszko Auditorium, which seats 1,841, and the Emil Młynarski Auditorium, which seats 248. The former Ballrooms on the first floor, facing Teatralny Square, contain Poland's only Theatre Museum. In front of the building there are two statues by Jan Szczepkowski: of Wojciech Bogusławski, the father of Polish National Theatre, and of Stanisław Moniuszko, the father of Polish National Opera.
Opera and ballet performances take place daily with the exception of Mondays throughout the season, which begins in October and ends in June. We look forward to seeing you at our next performance.
Contact
Plac Teatralny 1
00-950 Warszawa
skrytka pocztowa 59
tel. +48 022 692 02 00 (centrala)
faks: +48 022 826 04 23
email: office@teatrwielki.p |
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